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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. capital — a city
  3. race — a contest
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rash — hasty
  7. dip — to sink
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. race — the arms race
  12. content — happy
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. capital — money
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cap — of ice
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. cap — a lid
  19. craft — boats
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. craft — a skill
  22. cap — a hat
  23. rash — a series
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com